The present invention relates to the production of a dispensing closure for a container, preferably a pressurized container for containing a frozen viscous product. It is known to use pressurized containers comprising dispensing valves. A dispensing valve allows a consumer to efficiently dose and dispense the product. An example of such a container with a dispensing closure is described in EP-A-1591376.
The dispensing closure produced according to the present invention has a safety system that prevents dispensing of the contained product when the temperature of the container is above a predetermined safety temperature. More precisely, the safety system ensures that a consumer cannot actuate the dispensing valve system when the product is too fluid.
In the following description and for the sake of the clarity of the description, the product contained in the container of the invention is described as soft ice cream. It has been found that soft ice cream and similar products have to be dispensed from the container in which they are stored at a certain predetermined temperature. For the soft ice cream to have a nice appearance to the consumer when it is dispensed, it is known that the dispenser has to be at a temperature less than about −15° C. More importantly, for soft ice cream that is stored in a pressurized container, if the container is too warm and therefore the ice cream is too fluid, there is a risk that ice cream squirts out of the container opening with force. However, it should be understood that this example is not limitative, and that other types of temperature sensitive products can also suitably be packaged in the container of the invention.
European Patent Application no 05100386.1 and no 05100397.8 describe a container for storing and dispensing a product, said container comprising:
(i) a container body having an opening, for containing the product,
(ii) a dispensing closure attached to the container body opening, and comprising closure walls, at least one dispensing aperture, at least one closing element that is movable relative to the closure walls between a first position where said dispensing aperture is closed, and a second position where the dispensing aperture is open and the product is dispensed, said closure further comprising at least one actionable means that surrounds said closure walls and said closing element,
(iii) a spring element disposed between said closing element and said closure walls, so as to naturally force the closing element in a position where it closes said aperture.
The dispensing closure of European Patent Applications no 05100386.1 and no 05100397.8 further comprises at least one connection element that is disposed between said actionable means and said closing element, said connection element being made of a material that is:                rigid enough, when the temperature of the container is below a predetermined safety temperature, to connect said actionable means and said closing element, thus allowing a consumer to open the dispensing aperture by moving said actionable means, and        fluid when the temperature of the container is above said safety temperature, so that said actionable means and said closing element are disconnected, thus preventing a consumer to open the dispensing aperture when moving said actionable means. The present invention now provides a process for manufacturing such a connection element.        